Girl, 13, dies, four other teens seriously hurt after car crash in Okayama

Koharu Abe, a 13-year-old junior high school student, was killed when this car crashed around 4:55 a.m. Sunday in the city of Okayama. Four other junior school students in the same vehicle were also injured. Police are investigating who of the five was driving. | KYODO

OKAYAMA – A car carrying five junior high school students crashed in the western city of Okayama on Sunday morning, leaving a 13-year-old girl dead and the other four teens seriously injured, police said.

The police are investigating who of the five was behind the wheel when the car hit the median strip on a four-lane road around at 4:55 a.m. The girl who was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital was identified as Koharu Abe.

People must be 18 years old or older to drive a car in Japan.

All five students were in their second-year of junior high school, the police said, adding they are investigating who owned the vehicle.